Improvement in hand seed-planters



--F.B. PRESTON.

HAND SEED-PLANTER.

Patented June 12, 1877 WITNESSES:

monum fl.'PETERS, FHOTQ LlTNOGRAPNE-R, WASHINGTON. D C- FFIGE.

ATE T FRANCIS B. PRESTON, OF FAYETTE, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAND SEED-PLANTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. ll 91,882, dated June12, 1877; application filed April 2, 1877.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANCIS B. PRESTON, ofFayette, in the county of Howard and State of Missouri, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Hand Seed-Planter, of which the followingis a specification:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of my improved planter. Fig. 2 is arear view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts.

The object of this inventlon is to furnish an improved hand machine forplanting corn and other seeds, which shall be simple in construc tion,convenient in use, easily adjusted to plant more or less seed to a hill,reliable in operation, and not liable to get out of order.

The invention will first be described in connection with the drawing andthen pointed out in the claim.

A is the rear or main board of the planter, to the upper end of whichthe handle B is attached.

G is the seed-hopper, the sides of which are attached to the middle partof the side-edges of the board A.

Dis the dropping slide which passes through the seed-hopper 0, along theforward side of the board A, and to the upper end of which is attachedthe handle E, by which it is operated.

The lower part of the slide D, is covered with a plate, F, the sideparts of which are bent back at right angles and are attached to theside edges of the lower end of the board A. The edges of the part of theturned-back sides of the plate F, that project below the board A, arebeveled off so that the said plate may enter the soil easily.

In the part of the slide D that works in the lower part of the hopper Gis formed a slot to receive seed from said hopper, and drop it into aslot in the board A.

- The size of the dropping hole in the slide slide D, is bent upward atright angles along the rear side of said slide D, and is slotted to K isa plate attached to the hopper O, and

extending nearly to the bottom of said hopper, so that its lower edgemay be upon a level with or a little below the upper edge of a the plateJ, to prevent any seed from entering the dropping-hole of the slide Dafter it has been raised so high that the see-d may pass over the upperedge of the plate J, the lower edge of the plate K serving as a cut offto prevent the slide 1) from carrying up any more seed than enough tofill its droppinghole.

The slide D is made to move up and down in a straight line by a stud, L,attached to its rear side, and which enters a groove in the forward sideof the board A.

The upper part of the slot in the board A is covered with a plate, M,the upper end of which is slotted to receive the screw by which it issecured to the board A. The lower end of the plate M has a toe formedupon it which is slipped beneath the edge of a narrow crossplate, N,attached to the board A, so that by.

slipping up the plate M to free its toe, it may be swung to one side toenable the regulator G H Ito be readily adjusted.

The lower part of the slot in the board A, is coveredwith the spring 0,the upper end of which is attached to the plate N, and its lower endrests against the inner side of the upper end of the plate P, so as tohold the lower end of said plate pressed forward against the plate F, sothat soil cannot enter the cavity of the planter when its lower end isthrust in to the ground. The plate P is hinged near its upper end to thelower end of -the board A.

The plate or foot-piece F may be cleaned from soil, should it becomeclogged by unskillful handling, by pressing upon the plate P and spring0 at their point of meeting,which will raise the lower end of the plateso that it can be turned back and up toward the seedhopper, allowing thesoil to be easily removed.

By this construction as the slide D is raised enough seed for a hill istaken from said hopper and dropped into the slot of the board A, downwhich it passes and rests in the angle between the plates F P. When theplanter has been thrnstiuto the soil the slide D is pushed down, whichforces the plate P back and forms a space in the soil into which theseed drops. The seed is covered by the falling in of the soil as theplanter is raised.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with plates M N, of spring 0,hinged plate P, and plate F, forming the rear side of the passage, asand for the purpose specified.

2. The plate M, provided with a toe, as and for the purpose described.

FRANCIS B. PRESTON. Witnesses:

BOYD M. MCCRARY, O. E. BUROKHART.

